WRT is working with two communities at opposite ends of New York State to prepare comprehensive plans. Albany, the state capital, is an employment center with major institutions such as the State University of Albany but has experienced population loss and disinvestment in recent decades. Located at the western end of the state bordering Lake Erie, Chautauqua County is a picturesque rural county known as the home of the renowned Chautauqua Institute. According to WRT Principal David Rouse, "these projects provide a great opportunity to apply our ideas on sustainability, community engagement, and capacity-building for implementation in two very different contexts. Economic development is a major concern in both communities."
"Albany 2030: Your City, Your Future" will be the capital's first comprehensive plan in its 400-year history. A major plan focus is to define a sustainable future for Albany by incorporating five key principles: 1) Energy; 2) Resiliency; 3) Mobility; 4) Stewardship; and 5) Equity. As part of the planning process, the WRT team is facilitating a series of workshops designed to solicit input and educate citizens and community leaders on the comprehensive plan and the concepts of restorative development that could support an asset-based approach to building a sustainable future for Albany. The workshops will also bring stakeholders who have significant resources, expertise, or constituencies to the table for implementation.
Chautauqua County's new comprehensive plan will address the county's current economic and population stagnation. The county is using WRT's values-driven planning approach to engage citizens and other stakeholders in determining a vision for an economically, environmentally, and socially-sustainable future. As in Albany, an asset-based economic development strategy will be key to accomplishing this vision. WRT is working with the county to identify its many natural, built, and social assets and define what sustainability means based on those assets and the future aspirations of its citizens. The process is designed to create momentum for implementation by giving Chautauqua's citizens a stake in developing the plan vision and action agenda.
